Facebook Friends

Busy Brooklyn girl, bartending four nights a week, presently taking a class once a week, working on creating a webshow on the side, hanging out with friends, boyfriend, and fitting in exercise? Is all that really possible. Some days it feels like a balancing act, and some days it feels impossible. Recently all these new platforms have been created that has become a somewhere to stay connected on a global scale to friends, family, and acquaintances. Does it help with my balancing act? Or create more time for me to distract myself? First there was Myspace, and then there was Facebook. The imaginary social space for us all to be together again- in a controlled manner of course. I try to keep online identity me, like regular me. Friends I have not talked to in years are all of a sudden able to have daily updates on my life.

So weird.

Adding to the bilge. Where is my check? More Posts! More Photos! More Photoboothgirl!!!

It was pointed out by a dear friend of mine, shall we call her Luci? Yes lets! My lovely talented writer, artist, and filmmaker friend Luci sent me an email asking (I will admit-maybe not in the following words), 'where oh where has photoboothgirl gone? Gone to Photobooths everyone, when will she ever learn? when will she ever learn'**

I am still here, although a little bitter and a little tired, I will continue to write. Fighting to survive in this over blogged world, I fought off the negative chatter of Paul Boutin of Wired Magazine,"The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge." He goes on to discuss how blogging has been taken on by larger brands, companies, corporations, and BLAh blah Bladedity, blahhhhhhhh. Well, I say Mister Boutin, I photoboothgirl will continue to blog. We are the fortunate ones to watch history while blogging was born and became a new free medium for people to write freely, post photos, and express themselves with a specific theme, or sometimes in their own random menagerie of thoughts. It was easier to stand out before. But now it isn't new. It is a years old. oh no! not that. The people that jumped on the early blogging bandwagon were smart, or lucky- or both. Yes now its more common to have a blog. Who doesn't have a blog these days? Or a twitter. Will blogging go the way of the Zine? OR is it merely a more popular computer version of a Zine, with templates?

Oh and here is a pumpkin:

**Oh, woops that is a song already. Sung most recently on a covers album by Dolly Parton, but replace photoboothgirl with flowers, or soldiers.

Writing Writing Writing

To Write or Not to Write? To Blog or not to Blog. That is the question

The Bartenders Escape Plan

Bartenders Escape Plan:

1. upgrade skills

2. save money

3. take some classes

4. make own project

5. create free time

I won't let you become boring

My friend, we will call her Dr. Lovely just moved to a smaller sized city to start her residency, she just wrote to me she doesn't want to become boring. And I just want to be quoted to say that you, Dr Lovely will never be boring!! You might get tired, but boring... never. I know the way your brain works... and it is incapable of drab. This will serve as my pledge to you: I will do whatever I can if there is ever a moment that you doubt your incredible sense of depravity, creativity, laughter, mischievousness, and sheer weird being that you are.

Floating over my body

My heart wasn't racing, my knees weren't locked, but I felt something welling up inside. I attempted to separate my mind from my body as I focused on my breathing. I felt the snot begin to drip from my nose. I had no way to wipe it. It slipped down the inside to the tip, tickling and cold on my skin. I lay there breathing. For a brief moment I wanted to stand up, tear out the needles on my skin and run out of the office. However that seemed a little dramatic, so instead I continued to focus on my breath. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in breathe out. For a moment I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings from my limited viewpoint, laying, stomach side down, with my face in the massage head piece. Closing them I imagined my self above my body, I envisioned the other rooms and the people inside, I floated through the walls, the pipes, the wires, and looked down at myself, removing myself from that moment of claustrophobia. It didn't hurt but it was , "weird." Sometimes things are hard to describe with how it feels and how it makes you feel.

I went to acupuncture for the first time. I have gone twice so far. I went for a muscles strain in my back. And I told him about my allergies as well. I think to honor pain and healing is an important step in the getting better process, so I was doing that, I was doing something. I know there are a lot of somethings to do to get better in the world and this just happened to be one I was trying right now for this pain. Well, I know I would try this something again, and there will be other somethings for me to try too. Although hopefully, not that many!

Confession of a failed blogger

Confession one: I have crossed over to the Thirties. Now in a whole other questionaire age group category. Exploring a whole new terrain; I am no longer a cute twenty something, I have landed in a new "cute" territory: The Cute Thirty-somethings?

Confession two: I think our modern day urban manners are atrocious. I know that I have these magical moments where I think people are inspiring, but then when you take a job bartending in the lower east side, like I did, you see the other side of how people behave. Dare I say, they lack a fundamental skill base to negotiate a simple transaction to buy alcohol in a loud bar? Dare I call them monsters? MONSTERS!!!! These are a new breed of monster: they shout, wave their arms, tip poorly, are untrusting, demanding and impatient. They look like you or I, they often have party hats, bachelorette buttons, refuse to smile, and drink soco lime shots, jager bombs, and long island ice teas. Beware, they are among us.

Confession Three: I have been spending time writing entries for my blog, but then never posted them.

Confession Four: I am lactose intolerant!

Calendars

I have been severly lax in my blog writing, but I am back in action! I will dutifuly commit to my loyal blog readers (ahem... two people?) that I will try my best to write regularly for the summertime.

As you may or may not know I am in development of my own webshow (pretty crazy stuff). So I blame that for taking up all my spare time.

Sweet sweet thirty

I have made it to thirty years old.

IndiePix Bolerium and Reposting

Here is a repost that I received via email and via my Shooting People Daily Email Bulletin.

Indiepix has just announced a great promotional deal - they are giving out free downloads of our documentary "Bolerium" for the next week!

Here's the link:
http://www.indiepixfilms.com/film/3135

By taking a couple minutes to download the movie, you not only get a free copy of our award-winning documentary, you also help out some independent New York filmmakers.... because our distributor - Indiepix - reimburses us the full price for every download, even though its totally free to you.

Heres a little more about the film:

Bolerium - 23 minutes/2006/color
Directed by Keary Kensinger
Produced by Nathan Kensinger
myspace.com/kensingerfilms

"Bolerium" is a short documentary about one of
America's most important independent bookstores.
Hidden away in San Francisco's Mission District,
Bolerium Books is run by two "standup comedians and
walking encyclopedias of The Left." They house the
largest collections of Gay & Lesbian, Chicano and
Spanish Civil War materials in the United States....
and they would prefer that the general public doesn't
know about them!

Please download a copy today!

Pixel Cameras and The WebshowBandwagon

"Film will only become art when the materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper" -Jean Cocteau

I read this quote most recently on a page about Fisher Price Pixel cameras. You can find it by googling Pixel Vision.

Well, Film materials are not as cheap as the good old fashioned paper pen combo but I will say that they are getting less and less expensive. So much that it might be time for me to make something of my own. (GASP) After much thought and investigation I decided I too want to jump on the webolution craze and make my own web show! Evidently I am not the only one, many many many many many many.... and I mean MANY other people are doing this. I suppose I am just not that original, AGAIN. (sigh). AH but wait,I don't care! What I mean is... fortunately, I can admit there is a certain point where we are all so plugged into information at ALL times you learn to function on another level of originality, a level where everything is so layered and so complicated that your only choice is to acknowledge this mutliplex of complexities, take a step back, and simplify.

In my efforts to simplify in my life I am attempting to jump on the webshow bandwagon. Pretty crazy idea, but so is wanting to make movies, tv shows, shorts etc! Its an industry that is built around the dollar sign and will I survive, succeed, and prevail?

Sick Today!

ALAS, I am sick- brain is fuzzy, work is slow. Will be better and write more

Mermaids, Mermen, and Seafaring?

Photo From My Flickr Site.

It's not yet time for the mermaid parade, but it times to start planning.

The Mermaid parade is one of the few places I can celebrate the child within in sheer uninhibited little girlish delight! I can revel in shades of emerald, evergreen, and the ocean. All that sparkles, glitters, bubbles, and dazzles is celebrated as troops of fans, patrons, stars, and circus freaks romp in the spirit of the Annual Mermaid Parade of Coney Island.

A friend of mine is taking her class of seventh graders on the parade, dare I sign up for the parade, do I cross the line from audience member to PARADE marcher? The 2008 Parade will be on Saturday June 21st in Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Dare I organize a troop?

From the COney ISLAnd Website:

People and/or Animals on Foot Only (marcher fee only - see below)
An Antique Car (see insurance note below in Responsibilities section) ($25 entry)
An Antique Car Accompanied by People on Foot (see insurance note below in Responsibilities section) ($25 plus marcher fee - see below)
A Motorized Float (see insurance note below in Responsibilities section) ($25)
A Motorized Float Accompanied by People on Foot (see insurance note below in Responsibilities section) ($25 plus marcher fee - see below)
A Flatbed Truck (see insurance note below in Responsibilities section) ($100)
A Flatbed Truck Accompanied by People on Foot (see insurance note below in Responsibilities section) ($75 plus marcher fee - see below)
A Non-Motorized Float (Human Powered) ($10 plus marcher fee - see below)

Number of adult marchers in your group:
$10 per adult for 1st - 10th marchers
$9 per adult for 11th - 20th marchers
$8 per adult for 21st - 30th marchers
$7 per adult for 30th or higher marchers

Number of child marchers in your group:
$5 per child for 1st - 10th marchers
$4 per child for 11th - 20th marchers
$3 per child for 21st - 30th marchers
$2 per child for 30th or higher marchers

Sex in the 1700's sucked

I am lucky to have a boyfriend who has cable. When I head over to his and his roommate's boy bachelor pad complete with dirty dishes, unswept floor, leftover food delivery napkins littered about, and a set of turntables, I can always be content that I will have access to the menagerie of channels on their bigger-than-mine TV. I was raised with access to pay channels, Showtime and HBO, and it is something I was once used to. Unfortunately, so far in my stint of New York living, cable* gets vetoed from my budget.

So it's the Food Network for my boyfriend when he comes over, and HBO for me!

The other day we decided to watch John Adams the Original HBO series starring Paul Giamattie and Laura Linney. I must admit I have a bit of a history soft spot** and look forward to watching the completion of the "Epic 7 Part Mini-Series Event" based on the Pulitzer Prize Winning Book by David Mccullough.

As I get older the lessons of the earlier years of school begin to fade, an occasional re-cap is necessary to keep some of the knowledge in the ole noggin up to speed. I have yet to watch the conclusion but I am on the edge of my seat to see the tales of our second President.

*Well, my roommate and I have the lower tier of cable, meaning no MTV, Sundance, IFC, but channels like Spike, Food Network, etc come in.
** I won the history award at my eighth grade graduation!

Beer Coozies vs Beer Cozies

So which one is it? Is it Beer Cozy? OR Beer Coozie? And then do we get into spelling differentials: Beer Cozie, Beer Koozie, Beer Coozy, Beer Coozey? As a Seattle-ite by birth, I grew up with the use of Beer Cozy. But after years of living in New York, I am tongue-tied and often say, Beer Coozy. I will have to conclude it is a colloquial slang word that depends on the area you are in. Does this problem happen in other languages...German? Spanish? etc...

I have somehow gotten it in my head that for my next birthday I want to make beer coozies with something on them in honor of the event! But as I looked at prices, I realized it might not make the birthday budget.

As I looked through the Google search options, I discovered another exciting development! I have been on a quest for over two years now to find time to learn to knit, and I found the perfect knitting project:

Knitting Pretty



But maybe the easiest thing to make is found here: They Look Yummy!

What I forgot for my Buenos Aires trip

It's funny when one prepares for a trip, you go over the list in your mind. Over and over. You write it down. But usually there are always items that will be labeled: The Forgotten.

My Forgotten:

• Hair rubberbands
• the usb/firewire chord from my camera to computer
• sunscreen
• mosquito repellent

Then there are the overnight trips, the ones where you pack an overnight bag? Well, my dad and I went to the beautiful, charming Ombu Estancia for an overnight. AND would you believe it? I went to all the trouble to pack a bathing suit for the trip to Buenos Aires (just in case) and lo and behold... I forgot to pack it on my overnight trip! And not only was it hot and beautiful but there were two pools to swim in! In retrospect I should have definitely completed a daring midnight skinny dip in the second pool, far removed from the rooms, however some sort of modesty must have overtaken me. No swim in the country for me!

Willem Dafoe, Red Meat, and traveling by taxi

Our first night, my dad and I journeyed in a taxi to La Cabrera, a lovely restaurant in Palermo. Its the kind of restaurant that just does it right. My dad and I went twice on our first trip. I really liked it, and evidently so do a lot of people. It's always busy, but the thing that I love is while you wait outside they feed you appetizers and give you free glasses of wine or champagne. Who wouldn't like that? We were somehow magically seated right away. I like to think it was my amazing charm when I spoke to the host, or it was the respect for my father as an elder/senior "padron" (my dad's words) or it was because we were only 2, and the people waiting were all large groups (most definetly the latter). When you order the beef entries they bring them out on a cutting board along with small little dishes of various things. Kind of like when you get Korean food and they bring you all the dishes, but its Argentinian style. I do love the little dishes of all cultures! So, yes my vegetarian and vegan readers, I am sorry to admit I ate meat!

And Willem Dafoe was there! Very Handsome! He was eating there too! Most recently known as the Green Goblin in Spiderman/Norman Osborn, although he has an extremely extensive resume.

I awoke the second day in Argentina to my dad's voice in the other room, it was time to wake up. We had met a lovely taxi driver the day before and arranged to meet him at 9:30 am outside of the building of the apartment we are staying in.

We went to Tortoni, were fortunate to arrive before the hordes of tourists unloaded from the buses.

There was nice light, old photos covered the walls and we had a traditional Argentinian breakfast. Un Cafe doble, jugo de naranga, y un medialuna (double espresso, fresh squeezed orange juice, and a small croissant).

Mmmm. I will have to say my favorite traveler's breakfast was in Spain: pan tostada con tomate (toasted baguette style bread with tomato that has been grated through a cheese grater with olive oil poured on top, then salted and peppered- yummy!).

Scandal makes us question a leader

On Moblogic.tv Lindsay discusses the woman's side. Judgement is made. Scandal is among us!

On Amanda's blog she also commented on the subject and questions Lindsay. click here.

(and ah, extra marrital crap/scandal/mishap-I always have an opinion!)

Here we have a well crafted hypocritical situation, man cheats on wife, breaks laws, we judge man, man goes from governer to just another slimey politician, man resigns, wife stands by man, we criticize her for doing so. We judge: Cry! stay home! Just don't do, uh...that! ...is there anything right to do in this situation?

I am so frustrated and I keep going around in circles. I think the issue is not with Silda the Mother nor with Silda the wife or Silda the political figure, nor even with the Silda the Leader/ role model. The host of Moblogic.tv, Lindsay Campbell does bring in an interesting dialogue, however I think the problem is with the frustration that this strong women is made to deal with her husband's scandal. She is a powerful women and her husband is weak and trying to bring her down with her. We are sick of the scandals, we are tired of men pissing on the trees, getting the blow jobs, taking the bribe, sleeping with the prostitute. We want women in that position. We want the woman running the scandal. HA- we want women not running the scandal, that sounds better, can we handle it, ladies? We want more women on the other side of politics. Not just the first lady and not just the wife.

Well, I think that is happening...just taking a lot longer than some of us may want or like.

Check out some facts about Silda on http://www.ny.gov/governor/firstfamily/sildabio.html
She is way more than just a wife. She doesn't seem very weak.

More Questions:
As a wife, I say wow, how big of you to forgive your husband for such a scandal (if that were the case then she is a sacred healer and ready for enlightenment?).
On the other hand...As a ROLE MODEL... I say what kind of example are you giving us? Suck it up ladies?
As a ROLE MODEL how are you helping women that are in similar situations be strong and leave their husband?

As a MOM, I say good for you. As a mom, I think did Silda know about the affair? We simply can hypothesize all we want but ultimately we will just wait and see what truth unfolds, only Silda knows that one... on a positive note at least we weren't talking about Britney for a day! :) But lets be real here for a moment. No matter what Eliot Spitzer did, he is still a dad. He may not be the best dad, but he is the only dad those children have. His name is already being thrown all over the paper, his children will not spared from knowing of his father's scandal. Does there mom need to make it worse by shutting herself off from her children's dad? A lot of men "can't keep it in there pants" but can still be there as a dad. Dad's are not perfect, and Eliott Spitzer is definetly not so. He has proven this since he royally f*!#ed up in such a major way...it's obvious to all of us, but remember he can't be fired or resign from being a dad.

As women, we have always worn so many different hats, we are caregiver, mother, daughter, wife, lover, proffessional, and more all at the same time. Here is a woman who's husband just f*!#ed up, and he f*!#ed up everything. She had to be bigger than him, and bigger than us. She has kids to think about. Next she has her career to think about, and then journalists to think about, and finally us. She is on a stage in front of journalists, cameras, television audiences, and she is standing there facing us all, knowing our judgement hovers, will leap out any minute - only momentarily held in from our pursed lips. She didn't hide inside, she faced us, she stood up to our judgement, because no matter what she did, we would be there, waiting. BUT it is also not her mistake, it's his. HIS mistake. HIS crime. HIS resignation.

And she has to clean up the pieces with him or without him.

SO....I don't know, a woman shows tears on a campaign (ahem...Hillary) and she is weak? A woman stands by her man and she is weak? When is a woman strong?

Photoboothgirl Arrives in Argentina

I have arrived in Buenos Aires with my dad. We met up at in the Atlanta airport, having traveled from our respective homes- my dad, from Seattle and me from Brooklyn. The flight from Atlanta to BA is a nine or so hour flight. As I realized I was not only in the center seat of a center section, with a giant man on one side, my father on the other, I was shocked to encounter the child behind me. Its true! All of it. What they say about children. The plane flight sitcom joke of the kid driving the person crazy because he is constantly kicking the seat in front of him! I was an unfortunate victim of this unneccessary torture. His parents, not only oblivious, but equally as annoying as they talked loudly throughout the flight, amidst a plane full of sleeping travelers. On a NIGHT flight, as in the airline gives us earplugs (I tried them) and a sleeping mask. As in shut up and sleep flight!

Needless to say, I survived. Barely.

Not knowing the lack of sleep in store for me, I was happy to watch the free movies on the small screen nestled into the seat in front of me. After much deliberation I decided on American Gangster for the first two hours. After dozing off for a few hours I was jarred awake by the mother's voice behind me-oh so painfully shrill seeming- and even more so by the subtle constant kicks from behind by the menacing small child. I needed to seek solace, I was angry, sleepy, and weak; they did not respond to my requests to subdue their child (did I make it worse I wonder?). I needed comfort, fluff, a feel good movie would make me better, and so it was that I watched Being Jane. Aw, I do have a soft spot for James McAlvoy. He is dreamy. AND I was a wounded bird soaring somewhere above South America. I was too tired for substance. In the end a story of Jane Austin ended up not being the go to for a feel good movie- but I did guiltily enjoy it.

What shall I do in Buenos Aires? Well, my dad and I have yet to carve our itinerary in stone, blood, or even pen...so I will have to report back. So far, my spanish vocabulary is creeping back into the spanish speaking section of my brain. Lights are being turned on, and I imagine I will be more fully functional tomorrow on a good nights sleep.

On another note: Kelli is married! Congratulations Kelli!

Into the Blogosphere she goes!

Aghast at the expanse of the Internet. I am, are you? There is no reason to leave your house, what would I do without all my friends at my fingertips, an encyclopedia to look at whenever I want, a database of people's birthdays, eye colors, lipstick shades, lowest price of the whatsamacallit that i need so much, embarrassing moments captured on film of people I have never met but evidently should care a great deal about when they were caught at the supermarket without makeup! Egads. Basically, what I am trying to say, is I have been expanding my "online identity" and woo! it is exhausting at times. Names, passwords, emails, projects, contacts, resumes, listings, updates, photos, etc. Hopefully, all for a reason and not in vain.

I am working on making my own webshow, possibly with a personal vlog on the side. Knowing the amount of work it is, I continue on my quest for Internet domination me style. I am going into the unknown- what domain name do I want, how do I create a website? Did I pick the right name? On and on it goes. In the end I have picked two names for my website. Its all a learning process. Admittedly, I feel like all I want to do is get someone to do all this for me. But, I also want to try to understand all of the terms, packages, hostings, designs, etc of this expansive grand world of the Internet.

I am now on Friendster (although so two years ago), Myspace (so last year), Facebook (so right now), and Linkedin (so professional). I have joined Twitter and del.ic.ious. I have a flickr page. I am checking peoples blogs regularly (Yes Bill, I have read yours). Its almost time to admit to others that I have my own blog, that I actually want to share my innermost rambles with others. Well, lets not go all crazy, how about- 'some passing thoughts that get me through the days', that I want to share with others. AND... not just share with others- potentially share with the WHOLE WIDE WORLD because it is the World Wide Web! Remember: this should not be mistaken for a private online world* (Hi to all my fans in Japan and Brazil!). I will put a list of blogs I like on the side soon. Little by little I am making my way into the blogosphere.

*unless you are password protected!

The Oscars, Can What is Old be New Again?

The sun is shining brightly overhead. The smudges on my computer remind me of another day. Everyone is a blogger these days, its the thing to do. I, as the trendsetter I like to imagine I am, better get on this bandwagon and start blogging.

Ah to be a filmmaker, receive an Oscar, the prize of prizes for one's resume. Evidently, the Oscars were watched by 32 million people (NY Times, Business, Mon, 3/3). Now outloud that seems like a lot of people. In the same article by David Carr of the NY Times he continues, "...fewer than tuned in for the debut of the American Idol in January." Were the Oscars even trying this year? In this day and age why aren't they being more innovative? Why don't they have new commercials like the Superbowl. Better yet, why don't they feature filmmaker made commercials?

Horrified

Ohmygoodness. I just realized I do not have one of my dear friends current email addresses. I am still appalled. Don't worry I have already remedied the situaton. Stand down people.

Recently I have undergone an attempt to dive into the depths of the internets secret, mysterious, helpful, weird, innovative and network-a-rific websites and programs. Joining Facebook, and Linkedin, was one step. I next created a twitter account, although I think it is kind of silly.

More to report soon!

Audience.

I decided to begin writing regularly in my blog (I erased all my old entries, saved the name). Although writing for writings sake is respectable and even honorable. I have decided I need an audience, I will emerge out of the hidden alleyway, emerge from the disapearing lake, and see who will read my blog.

My mom is one of the people that I know will read my blog! Hi MOM! :)

I Can't Believe It

Amidst the absurdity of it all (and by it- I mean our daily lives) I have decided to join the force, the power, the source for all that is right, pertinent, and true* these days, and start my own blog. The internet as defined by wikipedia:

...is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked web pages and other resources of the World Wide Web (WWW).

As I sort out the meaning of a blog in my own life, I go to the definition now of Blog,

A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts.

I am not going to categorize my own blog at the start, I am starting one for merely to start one, for its own sake. Perhaps to create some sort of community to read my thoughts, expressions, stories, reportings, and opinions or just to have a place to write regularly.

*Because if it's on the internet it must be true!